ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football has an embarrassment of riches in the running backs room. Led by Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, the Wolverines have the best one-two punch in the country.
But, as we saw last year, if one goes down, you need more bodies who can step up and take on the role.
The Wolverines have a few. Converted linebacker Kalel Mullings performed well in the Big Ten championship game, but fumbled in a key moment in the College Football Playoff semifinal. CJ Stokes was just a freshman last year, but looked good when inserted. Tavierre Dunlap and Isaiah Gash are somewhat unknown commodities.
This year, Michigan brought in two freshmen: four-star Cole Cabana and three-star Benjamin Hall. Though Cabana is the one who grabbed the headlines, Hall has impressed the coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore noted this week.
“Ben Hall — we knew he was a good back. He showed some things that obviously Mike (Hart) knew,” Moore said. “Mike does a great job recruiting and evaluating guys. And he’s a guy that wasn’t very highly ranked, but he walks the building, his legs are giant — they’re huge. He’s built. He’s always in here. You’ve gotta kick him out. He’s always walking around with a water bottle with his headphones on just always locked in, focused. And he goes on the field, he runs like a train. So excited to see him and progress.”
With the spring game coming up on Saturday, fans will certainly be glued to the early enrollee and how he performs.
Outside of Hall, Moore shared a few other first-year players who have made an early impression, noting the two wide receivers as well as one of the offensive linemen who made it to campus.
“First of all, the guys have been great additions from a culture standpoint, just a great fit. Love all the guys, love all the kids,” Moore said. “Start with the guys up front; all those guys have been awesome. Just excited to keep them rolling and get ready for fall camp. Spring ball’s come and we’ve got the spring game coming up and excited to see the progress of everybody, especially our young freshmen.
“Amir (Herring), just to watch him grow, just to learn the system and see what he’s doing. He’s been really good. Really, really excited about these young receivers, to see what they do. They’ve been — they’re just like little puppies out there, but they’re just full of energy. Full playmaking ability. We’re just excited about that.”
Herring was the sole midyear player who did not get to participate in bowl prep as he partook in a high school all-America game.
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